Radiator cap



T. M. ROBERTS.

RADIATOR CAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1919.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922-.

stars area castes.

THOMAS M. ROBERTS, 01E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RADIATOR CAP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs M. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiator Caps, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to a cap or closure for the filling opening of anautomobile radiator, and is intended to replace the ordinary plain capwhich is usually supplied for capping the opening. It may be regarded asa modification and improvement of the radiator cap shown in the pendingapplication of Arthur WValine and Thomas M. Roberts, and is intended forthe same general purpose, that is, the provision of a sightly andattractive closure which may be conveniently manipulated to enable it toserve as a filling funnel, or as a ventilating and cooling device. Myobject is the de velopment and perfection of a device of thisdescription in a highly satisfactory and desirable form, and myinvention relates more particularly to'the formation ofthe back wall ofthe funnel member and a spring diaphragm member with matching shutteropenings and consists in the construction, arrangement and form of thecooperating shutter members and associated parts as hereinafterdescribed, the essential elements thereof being more particularly setforth in the appended claims.

In the appended drawing forming a part of this specification Fig. 1 is aside eleva tion of a radiator cap embodying my invention, showing indotted lines the position of the funnel member when reversed; Fig. 2 isacentral vertical sect-ion of the same; Fig. 3 is a face view of theapertured back wall of the funnel member, viewed axially of the jointbetween the funnel and base members; Fig. 4 is a view of the top of thebase member, looking in the opposite direction; and Fig. 5 is plan viewofthe spring diaphragm removed.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figuresof the drawing.

The base member 1 of my novel radiator cap is formed with a tubularscrew-threaded connection 2 adapted to engage the regular threadedopening of the radiator of the automobile upon -which-it is designed tobe used, and is provided with a lock nut 3 by means of which itmay befirmly secured in place. Above the screw-threaded portion the baseSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10,

Patented J an. 3,1922. 1919. Serial a... 309,964.

member is formed a somewhat contracted neck 4: which merges above into asubstantially hemispherical" shell 5, the face of which is inclined atan angle of 45 from the axis of the screw-threaded portion and neck. Theupper circular face of the shell portion 5 is formed with an annularcounter-bore 6 to form a seat for the funnel member to be laterdescribed, below which is formed a shouldered recess 7 extending belowand around the bottom of the'counterbore 6, except for a lug 8 which isleft in the line of the recess.

The funnel member 9 of the device has anouter flaring or bell shapedopening wh ch at its inner end is continuous with a circular back wall10 formed with a number of openings 11, seven in the present instance,cut on radial and circumferential hnes, and separated by uncut portions12 of the wall, these solid portions of the wall being of the same shapeand size as the openmgs. Externally the base of the funnel member isshouldered to form a reduced portion 13 adapted to rotatably engage thecounterbore 6 of the base member.

Between the base and funnel members and seated in the recess 7 isarranged a slightly dished diaphragm plate 1 1 of resilient metal whichis formed with radiating openings 15 adapted to register with theopenings 11 of the back wall of the funnel member in certain positionsof the latter. As shown, one of these openings, marked 15 is cut out tothe margin of the plate so that it may engage opposite sides of the lug8 before mentioned, whereby it is held against rotation.

The funnel member is secured in its seat in the base member, against thespring resistance of the diaphragm plate, by means of a pivot bolt 16arranged axially of the joint between the members and engaging athreaded boss 17 formed on the base member, a lock nut 18 being providedto prevent it from becoming disengaged. A spring washer 19 between thehead of the screw bolt and the outer face of the back wall of the funnelmember is also preferably used to provide additional spring resistanceto rotation of the funnel member. I

Adjacent the joint between the funnel and base members the base memberis formed with opposite stop lugs 2020, arranged to cooperate with aproject ng lug 21 on the funnel member.

lt'will be noted that the openings in the back wall of the funnel and inthe diaphragm plate are odd in number, from which it results that arotation of the funnel member through an arc of 180 will reverse theirrelation to each other. The arrangement is such that when the funnel isin the horizontal position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 theopenings ofthe parts will be arranged in alternation and communication through thefunnel into the radiator closed, and when turned to the position shownin dotted lines in said figure, to serve as a funnel when filling theradiator, the openings in the two members will be in registration. Incase the water in the radiator should become overheated and it isdesired to open'communication through the cap so that by forwardmovement of the car air will be driven into the radiator, the funnel maybe turned through an arc of one-seventh of a circle, in which positionthe openings will be brought into registration, and the angular settingof the cap will hardly be noticeable.

Vhile I have described my invention as constituting a cap or closure foran automatic radiator, it is obvious that it is applicable to containersor receptacles of whatever kind which it may be desired to provide witha closure-member serving in one position as a funnel and when reversedserving to close the funnel opening.

I claim:

1. A radiator cap comprising a vertical hollow base member, a funnelmember communicating therewith and rotatably engaging said'base memberon an axis oblique to the axes of both said members, said funnel memberbeing formed with a .back wall, a dished resilient diaphragmnon-rotatably engaging said base member and arranged adjacent the backwall of said funnel member, said diaphragm and back wall being formedwith openings arranged to register and havin intermediate solid portionsof the same size as the openings, and a pivot bolt engaging said backwall of the funnel member and said base member.

2. A radiator cap comprising a Vertical hollow base member, a funnelmember comraoaaae municating therewith and rotatably engaging said basemember on an axis oblique to the axes ofbotlisaid members, said funnelmember'being formed with a back wall provided with an odd number ofopenings, a diaphragm non-rotatably seated in said base member adjacentsaid back wall and formed with a corresponding odd number of openings,said openings in the back wall of the funnel and in the diaphragm beingarranged to stand out of registration when the funnel is in horizontalposition and in registration when the funnel is in vertical position.

3. A radiator cap comprising a vertical hollow base member, a funnelmember communicating therewith and rotatably engaging. said base memberon an axis oblique to the axes of both said members, said funnel memberbeing formed with a back wall provided with radiating openings separatedby solid portions of the same angular extent as said openings, acircular diaphragm adjacent said back wall and formed with. the samenumber of similar openings, one of said openings extending to theperiphery of the diaphragm and said base member being formed with anarc-shaped seat arranged to receive the edge of such diaphragm and witha lug arranged to engage said lastmentioned opening therein, and a pivotbolt engaging said back wall of the funnel member and said base member.

4. A device of the character described and comprising a vertical hollowbase member, a reversible funnel member communicating {therewith androtatably engaging said base member on an axis inclined from thevertical, said base being equipped with an apertured diaphragm adjacentthe joint between it and the funnel member and said funnel being equip38d. with a corresponding apertured diap ragm contiguous to said firstmentioned diaphragm and said apertures being arranged to register whensaid funnel is in vertlcal position and arranged to stand out ofregistration when said tunnel is in horizontal position.

THOMAS M. ROBERTS.

